In The Darkness We Unite
by wind.casner
Summary: Author: WindSparrow Game: Mass Effect (three) The Reapers have finally reached Earth. With Commander Shepherd off uniting the universe it is left to those still at home to step up and fight. New leaders and hero's will emerge from the ashes of the war. Is there any peace to be found with in the chaos? Is there anything but more death and destruction in the future?


Prologue

Title: Prologue  
Author: WindSparrow  
Game: Mass Effect (three)  
Disclaimer: I do not earn any money from this. Bioware own all content and characters related to the Mass Effect Franchise. Wind Song Shepherd is my own creation inspired by the character of Jane Shepard created by Bioware. Any original characters contained herein are my own creations and are not necessarily affiliated with Bioware **Please ask permission before using this fanfiction in any other way than reading thank you**  
Much Thanks to *Dinky-Mew for use of her title block.  
Personal Disclaimer: This story may contain graphic and adult themes, such as sexual activity, strong language, graphic violence and torture scenes. Please be aware of this before you continue reading... Thank you for your time and I hope you enjoy.

*Boom!*

The sound was almost deafening as the wall behind her exploded into a thousand little pieces showing down around her in a choking grey cloud of debris causing her to cough as she struggled to breath. She had to squint her eyes as she tried to focus on the hellish battle scene in front of her. She peered around what had once been a beautiful car but now resembled a sad piece of modern art as bullets were raining down from all sides of the main street. People were screaming in pain and horror as the huge balls of fiery death rained from the sky. It sounded like cannons firing all around her as they crashed into storefronts, sidewalks, cars parked along the street and into the street itself. Only once on the ground they seemed to transform into monstrous creatures of versus shapes and sizes. The Reapers had finally come to earth just like Commander Shepherd had always warned...

By the Gods! She thought as the horror of what was unfolding in front of her began to sink in. This as got to be some kind of nightmare... There is just NO way this can really be happening! She watched in stunned silence as the monsters rained death and destruction everywhere. Her eyes watered and her chest screamed as she tried to drag air into her lungs and chocked from the amount of dust mixed in. She had always believed in Commander Shepherds predictions and as such, she and her brother had trained relentlessly. While she had every confidence in the Commander, and knew she wouldn't let them down, Pixie also knew that everyone would be needed in this fight if they were to survive.

Slowly she scanned up and down the street for a hint of that familiar towering mountain of a body, a flash of his pail golden hair, or the shine of pure silver eyes. They had parted only minutes before to go shopping for presents for the other. She had just crossed the street and spotted the shop that she wanted when all hell had broken loose. Come on...she begged silently, Come on! Where are you? She desperately scanned the area for her twin brother. Where are you Shade? She could feel the panic begin to rise in her as she did her best to force it back down, knowing that panic never helped anyone. Taking a few deep breaths as she closed her eyes to the insanity around her. She cleared her mind and chanted a mantra from one of her favorite old vids that she had memorized.

I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. It is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.  
I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. It is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.  
I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. It is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me.

Feeling much calmer and centered she allows her eyes to flutter open and a sardonic smile twist her lips as she whispers to herself. "Alright it's time I show these mother fuckers just who they are screwing with..."

Silently she scanning the area behind her that had exploded only moments ago. Climbing through the hole that had been created was the grey twisted form that had once been human, and it was staring straight at her. Bile rose in the back of her throat at the sight of it. So that's a husk... she thought to herself as she silently brought up her right arm. She flexed the muscles in her forearm, signaling her cybernetics to activate her Omni-tool. She never took her eyes off the creature in front of her as a brilliant orange glow encased her right are. Her left hand flew over the glowing projection as she summoned a combat drone. She silently thanked the gods for her adoptive fathers 'contacts' in the STG and the info he had insisted they memorize.

"Alright lets play" she chuckled as a evil smile played across her face and settled into her eyes. A few buttons and a small projectile erupted from the drone into the husk that was charging her. She watched with terrible glee as it hit it's target and the things head exploded with a light *pop* sound. Agnzis had wanted they prepared as best they could be, a specially her. It wasn't that their Agny (adoptive father) didn't care about Shade but it seemed that Salarians had a soft spot for little girls in general, what ever race they were and couldn't abide to see them mistreated.

Pixie spun around and punched in a few more commands as she scanned the street once more. There were 4 Scions, at least a dozen husks and two giant black bug like things. Pix felt her stomach knot at the sheer numbers stacked against her. She might not be as worried about getting out of there intact if she had Shade at her side, as it was she wasn't sure that she was ganna get out with her life. The thundering explosions continued on, sounding as if the reinforcements were landing in the neighborhoods surrounding them.

Pixie felt the small specialized disk of one of her turret guns that she had specifically designed for this day materialized into her hand. She might not have gotten the brawn in the family, that was decidedly Shades department. She on the other hand ,had been blessed with an extremely advance brain at least as far as humans go and had been raised by a Salarian doctor. She wasn't quit sure she was 100% human anymore due to the many surgeries and reconstructions of certain parts of her body that she required more then once in her youth, though she tried not to dwell on the thought.

Looking steadily at the small, delicate machine, she made a few adjustments before rearing back and lobbing it at the creatures making there way steadily towards her. With a few taps on her Omni-tool the turret began to not only hover but it seemed to dance drunkenly in the air as it sent a relentless barrage of gunfire on the creatures closest to the turret. She giggled in demonic glee as she watched the small projectiles shredding the skin of the disgusting creatures and sending black blood flying into the air. Pixie cheered as she watched as 5 of the husks fell to the antics of her destructive little bot. She paused in her cheering for a moment and her bow furrowed before clearing as she looked over her shoulder at the brilliant neon orange combat drone hovering behind her and raised a brow inquiringly.

"Well Zivin," she address the drone. "What are you waiting for?" she asked before indicating with her hand. "Go get them!" The drone floated the for a moment more then pulsed in response before dipping into what looked like a small graceful bow to her, before zooming off to engage the creatures threatening his mistress. She laughed as she watched her beautiful drone go straight for one of the largest Scion and *Zap* it with an electric pulse. The mutilated form was the color of rancid meat and looked like a mutated football player that had, had way to many steroids, with a cannon grafted to his hand.

She smiled as she watched it trying desperately to take aim at Zivin but to no avail, the drone was just to quick. The grotesque thing took aim and fired but the drone was already off to a new position by the time any danger neared it. Swooping in he began taunting the twisted abomination with small electric shocks once again. Each blast of the cannon that the creature discharged took out or did horrible damage to it's surrounding compatriots.

"You go Zivin!" she shouted as peels of laughter erupted from her after both the creepy bug things fell to their own sides fire. "Clever, clever boy..." she chuckled to herself feeling like a proud momma after all the months she had spent researching, designing, and finally creating her beloved friend. As time had progressed she had stopped looking at it as a simple attack drone and had grown emotionally attached to him. She knew if her father, brother, or anyone else ever found out just how far her research and tweaking had taken her then they would force her to destroy him and she was determined to never let that happen.

A feral smile curved her lips as she saw two more of the Scions advance on his flank. Oh hell no! She thought as she scanned the street for her brother again while she summoned another turret and lobed it at them. The sent of blood hung thick in the air and she felt her blood heating as a strange hunger began to settle in the pit of her stomach. She wanted more... More blood... More violence... More Death! It was times like this that she doubted her own humanity as she felt distinctly non human. She reveled in the blood lust she felt flowing threw her veins as she enjoyed the tingling of her biotics springing to life. Cold deadly promise shone brightly in her eyes a she stretched out her left hand towards another Scion and whispered "Reave!"

_

He heard her long before he saw her. He'd know that demented, blood thirsty laugh any where as a chill raced down his spin. He ducked under the trunk area of an overturned sedan trying to fold his long muscular body into the cramped space. His heart raced as he scanned the general area where he had heard her laughter. Panic edging into his mind as when he could not find her straight off. Were the Fuck are you Pixie? He thought desperately still scouring the last area he'd seen her in with his eyes.

"You go Zivin!" Her elated shout rang out as a brilliant ball of neon orange darted past him. Well at least she's having fun. He thought sardonically and chuckled to himself as he continued to scan for her. Suddenly there she was... Her small lithe form standing behind what had once been a beautiful classic Thunderbird. Dirt and dust covered her and a black substance stained her face and shirt. She looked so delicate like she might shatter from the chaos surrounding her with his old moss green dress shirt draped over her shoulders. She looked like a kid playing dress up in an adults clothes.

He was about to call out to her and tell her to get back into cover when he notice how she seemed to harden right before then his eyes. Gone was his sweet and caring if more then slightly annoying twin sister and in her place stood a stranger with a face as cold as death. Her hair was the same aqua blue at the base then faded into platinum stands of white only to darken back to the same striking aqua color at the tips, a side effect of a treatment that she had to under go when they were kids. Her skin was ashen due to the dust in the air. Her body was so still he wasn't sure if she was actually breathing at first. He saw the dark promise in her eyes and flinched. They were currently such a dark green that they seemed black.

He had seen that look before and he felt a momentary surge of pity for bringing it out of her. He watch as her biotics slow began to come on line. A soft teal haze began to surround her. Her shoulder length bob began floating around her in a awesome display like she was submerged under water. Shades eyes flew wide as he noticed a silver and grey field twined around her body, writhing like a snake and growing thicker and thicker.

She stepped forward, raised her left hand and pointed it at something out of his line of sight. The disturbingly calm mask never faltering upon her face as her lips moved on a single word. "Reave!" He did not have to hear it to know what that breathy whisper sounded like. There were nights that he woke up in a cold sweat remembering the first time she used it.

They were twins, so similar and yet so very different. After the surgeries they had been forced to under go in order to save their lives, nothing had ever been the same. Even though they had spent countless hours in their youth trying determinedly to out do one another something had broken between them and he had no idea of how to put it to right. He knew her movements like he knew his own but he also knew her recklessness when she was in battle mode. Her lust for blood would drown out all thoughts of self preservation, if she even still possessed any that is.

FUCK! His mind screamed as he put everything into a barrier he'd erected with his left hand and taking a deep breath he sprang from his crouched position. He barreled across the road towards his sister who was still standing there with that chillingly cold mask on, making a mad dash to were she was standing reeking havoc and death on the reaper's creations that were still coming in waves. I swear that she is ganna be the fucking death of me!

"Reave!"he saw her breath again and turn his head to see were she was aiming.

"Oh Shit!" he cried as he saw the biggest damn creature that he'd seen yet and it was heading straight at him. Never stopping he clenched his jaw and through more energy into the barrier and drew his right hand close to his body. He felt his muscles strain as he started to charge the shockwave all the while never dropping his barrier or stopping the motion of his feet as they carried him closer to his precious twin. He had almost lost her to monsters once before and he had sworn that it would NEVER happen again.

When he looked back at her he found her eye's on him. A warm smile of welcome graced her face and her eyes lightened to a sea foam green in relief. They raced over his features, drinking it the sight of him whole and uninjured. His silver eyes twinkled down at her and he flashed his same old cocky grin showing off his brilliantly white and even teeth. She drank in the relief for a moment more before sighing as her eyes drifted over his shoulder just as the Brute swiped at her drone and it flickered then disappeared. The cold mask fell right back into place at the sight and she called on a chilling dry voice that reminded him of frost on Autumn leaves.

"It's about time you got here."

"Sorry I'm late" he said with sincere concern before smirking as he spun to face the Brute. "Do you have any of your toys on you?"

"But of course I do Dear Brother..." He heard her darkly chuckled purr.

"Well then Baby Sister," he chuckled darkly himself. "Take them out and lets play!"

"With pleasure." she said tossing three grenades towards him carelessly. "Catch!"

Using his biotic shield he caught them and then used his shockwave to propel them with awesome force straight into the face of the charging Brute.

"YES!" they cried in unison as it's head and part of it's chest cavity exploded like a pinata, sending bone and plated shrapnel into numerous other of the disgusting abominations surrounding it. They turned their heads and smiled into each others eye's . Shade's mouth lifted into a cocky smirk and he called.

"Hey Pix, I bet I can take more of them out then you can before the Alliance shows up!"

"Your on slow poke, I'm up 9 to 0 by my count!" she called back grinning evilly as she summoned Zivin again. She stroked her glowing little friend fondly before whispering. "Well you heard him... Lets show that Brat what we can do...!" The drone bobbed into it's little bow, then it spun and flashed crazily before darting out to find another target to torment, twinkling as it's mistress's delighted laughter following it.

Shade's deep cocky chuckle floated back to her. "I thought you might need a head start to keep up..."

He was rewarded by her sequel of fury. "You'll pay for that Shade!"

He laughed harder as he amp-ed up his biotics and charged into the frey. He began blasting things with shockwaves. "Yeah, yeah." he shot back in a practiced patronizing tone as he caught a husks in either hand and smashed their heads together with a resounding thud then a satisfying squish. "That's what you always say!"

The words had no sooner had the words left his mouth then he felt the of heat of an incineration attack explode mere feet from his back and scorch the cotton of his tee-shirt. "Hey watch it!" he cried in a shocked vioce. "That almost hit me!"

"Oh shut up you Big Baby," she taunted back giggling. "That's three more by the way!"


End file.
